The Michigan Air National Guard’s 127th Wing out of Selfridge ANGB conducted its first-ever refueling mission April 12, marking a new chapter in the unit’s history since transitioning from C-130 transports to KC-135 tankers as part of BRAC 2005. The Detroit News reported April 12 that a KC-135 from the wing refueled several F-16s from the Michigan ANG during a training mission over the southeast part of the state. The flight took place just minutes after a change-of-command ceremony to mark the change of mission from airlift to refueling. The wing traded its eight C-130s for eight KC-135s. The eight tankers came from Air Force Reserve Command’s 927th ARW that was assigned to the base. As part of BRAC, the airplanes stayed and fell under the Air Guard, and the Reserve unit moved to MacDill, AFB. Fla.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.